On Sunday, Anthony Hervey, a 49-year-old Black man from Oxford, Mississippi known for supporting the state Confederate flag, was killed in a car accident.

Hervey’s 2005 Ford Explorer turned over on Mississippi Highway 6 in Lafayette Country, resulting in his death, NBC reports. Officials are investigating the crash itself, but have not confirmed if they are taking a closer look at another alleged detail courtesy of Arlene Barnum, the vehicle owner and passenger in the car.

Barnum told reporters the accident was caused after Hervey swerved to avoid colliding with a group of young men who appeared to be yelling and angry. Barnum said she isn’t sure if the group followed the vehicle from Birmingham, Alabama, but Hervey yelled something back before his car flipped over.

“It spun like crazy and we flipped and flipped and flipped. It was awful,” Barnum said.

She and Hervey were returning from Birmingham after attending a rally to keep the Linn Park Confederate Monument intact, a symbol that leaders in the city just voted to remove. Hervey was also known for dressing in Confederate regalia around town, holding and waving the rebel flag.

During a 2001 interview with the AP, Hervey said, “This is not racism. This is my heritage.”

His devotion to this part of history was a controversial act of pride to many but, according to Hervey, he was living out a mission to honor his Black ancestors who fought in the Civil War.